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Why most blogs never make it…

They don’t stand the test of time.

It takes months or years to build a strong, steady, daily audience.

The worst thing for your blogging may be the numbers you are monitoring. Stop it. Quit watching them.

Pick a subject you know and about which you are passionate. Write good posts. Engage with other blogs. Look for opportunities to promote your work. Then, ignore all the numbers and keep blogging. Be patient as your blog grows.

We miss a lot of great content, because you give up before we find it. If you have something that needs to be said, if you know a little about it, say it well, say it with passion, but keep saying it until we start to listen.

This is good. I find each day when I release a new post, I am obsessively looking to see how many hits I have received. Then I let my "success" become based on the post's viral ability. I think like you mentioned to Joe – looking at numbers once a month is good. By checking the numbers, it has helped me to see which posts are more engaging. But other than that, it has only been a self-defeating process for me.

I love what you said here: "We miss a lot of great content, because you give up before we find it."

Eh, I got to disagree about ignoring the numbers. They serve a purpose, at least if you're using them for the right reason. The numbers can tell you if there's something wrong with your blog. For me, it let me know that Google was no longer indexing the site. I'd say keep an eye on the numbers, but only as a measurement of the health of your site.

The post was a little more tongue-in-cheek that you're taking it. Yes, numbers are important, but many are giving p because the numbers aren't yet what they want them to be. In that case, ignore the numbers and write. The numbers will grow. Of course, you wouldn't know that if you didn't look periodically. I typically look about once a month. And, then I go back and compare my numbers to a year ago the same time period. That's where I find my best encouragement. Twitter: Ronedmondson

Great point, Ron. When I read the headline I thought I might be about to read an article with detailed, maybe even complex reasons why blogs do not make it in the long run. But, you get right to the point and nail it on the head. A blog has to contain authentic content, and that comes from the author being passionate about the topic.

Absolutely. It isn't as complex as we often make it. Some of the biggest read blogs are really pretty simple, from the heart. Some of the stay at home moms who blog about things specific to others like them have huge blogs. As you said, they just find authentic content about which they are passionate….and write.Thanks! Twitter: Ronedmondson

This is so true Ron. It is a hard temptation to avoid though. One of the things I’ve found in my short 7 months of blogging is the posts that I think will get lots of traction don’t and the ones I don’t think are that good get lots of traction. Twitter: Justinlathrop

Yea, still true for me, but one thing I've found is that often helps shape my central message. Plus, some of the ones that didn't get initial traction, later become some of my more popular posts over time. Keep doing it! Twitter: Ronedmondson